MOORHEAD – The new year has been kind to the Concordia men’s basketball team.
The calendar flipping to 2015 has meant wins – three to be exact – for the Cobbers. Concordia continued its roll Wednesday night with an 80-72 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win against Bethel at Memorial Auditorium.
“This is a big win for us,” Concordia senior guard Brandon Giese said of the Cobbers’ fourth straight victory – a stretch that dates back to Dec. 31. “We knew we had to come into 2015 ready to play tough because every game in the conference is going to be a battle.”
Concordia’s winning streak includes three conference games.
The Cobbers (7-3, 3-2 MIAC) seized control midway through the first half Wednesday, hitting three 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to build a 28-18 lead over the Royals with 7 minutes, 37 seconds left.
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Concordia shot 58.1 percent from the field in the first half and held a 44-35 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Cobbers were tested. Concordia survived a scoreless stretch that lasted 6:51 in which its lead was cut to four points.
The drought ended with 7:48 remaining when junior forward and former Fargo North standout Brady Syverson completed a three-point play, putting Concordia up 57-50.
Later, Giese connected for a 3-pointer with 5:53 remaining to give the Cobbers a 63-53 lead.
With the lead back to double digits, Concordia was able to breathe and eventually close out the win.
“There were six possessions during and coming out of the stretch where we didn’t score when it was a live or die point in the game,” Concordia head coach Rich Glas said.
Giese led the Cobbers with 19 points and was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line.
“We kept our cool and stayed composed,” said Giese, who also had three steals in the game.
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Brycen Wojta finished with 24 points for the Royals (7-3, 3-2).
BETHEL (7-3): Von Schmidt-Pauli 2-7 4-6 8, Zimmermann 7-9 5-6 19, Wojta 10-15 2-4 24, Hall 2-9 0-0 4, Tusler 4-13 2-4 12, Nelson 2-4 0-0 5, Canfield 0-1 0-0 0, Casey 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 27-60 13-20 72.
CONCORDIA (7-3): Syverson 3-7 2-5 8, Bolger 6-12 3-4 15, Rude 2-4 2-4 7, Fraase 3-4 2-4 9, Giese 3-8 12-12 19, Ellingson 0-0 0-2 0, Bergeson 2-3 0-0 5, Nelson 1-3 0-0 3, Kinny 3-6 2-2 10, Flotterud 2-4 0-0 4. Totals: 25-51 23-33 80.
Half: C 44, B 35. 3-point goals: B 5-16 (Von Schmidt 0-3, Wojta 2-3, Hall 0-1, Tusler 2-6, nelson 1-3), C 7-15 (Rude 1-1, Fraase 1-2, Giese 1-4, Bergeson 1-2, Nelson 1-2, Kinny 2-4). Total fouls: B 28, C 17. Fouled out: Wojta. Rebounds: B 37 (Zimmerman 13), C 31 Bolger 13. Assists: B 9 (Tusler 3), C 12 (Rude, Fraase, Giese, Kinny 2). Steals: B 6 (Canfield 2), C 7 (Giese 3). Turnovers: B 16 (Wojta 5), C 13 (Bolger 4).
